


Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

by juem87



Series: Picking Up the Pieces [13]
Category: Twisted (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-04
Updated: 2013-10-04
Packaged: 2017-12-28 10:45:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/991124
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/juem87/pseuds/juem87
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Danny joins Lacey, Judy and Clara for dinner.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry it took so long for this update. I hope you enjoy it, and as always let me know what you think.

“Are you nervous?” Clara asks nudging Lacey’s shoulder as she watches her set the dining room table. The younger girl had just come home from gymnastics’ practice, showering and dressing quickly in preparation for the evening’s dinner party. The smells coming from the kitchen entice her already grumbling stomach as she eagerly waits for their guest to arrive. She’s looking forward to the good food and entertainment of watching Danny squirm in his seat under Judy’s heated gaze.

Biting her lower lip to stifle a smile, Lacey shakes her head. “No, I think everything is going to go well.” She glances quickly in Clara’s direction before placing the finishing touches and stepping back to survey her work. The table is elegantly made up, draped with her mother’s favorite cream colored, hand-stitched table cloth and five place settings composed of the woman’s expensive white china.

Clara narrows her eyes, her hands coming to rest on her hips. “Shouldn’t you be nervous?” The suspicion is clear in her voice. “Why aren’t you nervous? What do you have planned?”

“Nothing,” Lacey smiles innocently in her sister’s direction as she interlocks her fingers in front of her body. “Mom loved Danny when we were younger, so I’m sure she’ll like him just fine now once they become more familiar with one another.”

“Uh huh,” Clara replies, skeptical look still on her face. She’s torn between nagging the truth out of her old sister and leaving the girl with her secret, happy that she isn’t anxious about the dinner that is sure to be awkward and riddled with tension. Before she can make up her mind, they’re interrupted by the ringing of the doorbell.

“I’ll get it,” Lacey says quickly, moving pass Clara out of the dining room and to the front door.

Having heard the doorbell, Judy leaves the kitchen, wiping her hand on a dish rag and removing her apron before meeting her daughter at the entrance of the house. She stands behind Lacey, arms crossing on her chest and face stern in preparation for her first meeting with Danny in his new capacity as her daughter’s boyfriend. She wants the boy to know that although she is allowing their relationship, she is not at all pleased with it or him. She plans to make this clear over dinner as she questions him about his intentions with Lacey.

Sure of her plan and affirming her stance Judy watches as Lacey opens the door, the girl shooting her a pleading, though delighted, glance before moving to face their guests. It turns out Danny isn’t the only one standing on the doorstep to the Porter residence.

“Karen,” Judy calls out as she uncrosses her arms, surprised at the woman’s presence. Forcing her face into less of a shocked expression she smiles, glancing between her daughter and Danny before focusing her gaze on Karen. The two teens seem to have forgotten the existence of everyone else as they speak, looking into each others’ eyes.

“You look surprised to see me, Judy,” Karen smiles back, stiffly, clenching her purse as she waits to be invited inside.

“No, of course not,” Judy further schools her expression into one of calm, inviting hostess before stepping back from the doorway, making room for their guests to enter. “Come inside. It’s freezing out tonight.”

Finally breaking eye contact with Danny, Lacey follows her mother’s lead, making room for them to enter.

“Hello, Mrs. Desai,” Lacey says, her attention still mostly on her boyfriend as the two move closer to one another in the foyer of the house. At Karen’s expression, Lacey corrects herself. “Hello, Karen.” She smiles, eyes bright as she looks at the older woman, happy for her attendance of the evening’s festivities.

“Hello, Lacey. That dress looks great on you.” Karen moves forward to hug the girl, admiring her pale pink, mid-thigh length dress.

“Thank you,” Lacey’s smile turns shy as she looks down at the floor.

“Yeah, you look great, Lace,” Danny says, drawing her attention back to him as he reaches out for her hand. He’s happy to see her, and even happier to be able to talk to her and hold her hand without hiding from either of their parents.

Judy watches their interaction, eyes narrowing slightly as they fall to rest on the on the teens’ joined hands. Her daughter’s contentment is as plain as day, but Judy cannot find it in herself to more than begrudgingly accept their relationship, much too concerned with her daughter’s choice in partner to partake in her joy.

In turn, Karen watches Judy take in the sight before her. She’s unable to decipher the woman’s facial expression, but is certain she has qualms about Lacey dating Danny. While understandable, Judy’s unease still hurts Karen, their families having been close before the tragedy of Tara’s death had befallen them. When their children were younger, they use to joke about the two growing up to get married and providing them with an army of grandchildren. Now that it seems to be coming into fruition, Karen prays Judy will not stand in their way. 

Unbeknownst to the adults, silence has fallen over them, both too preoccupied with their own musings to notice. Walking into the room, having been in the kitchen sampling dinner, Clara finds the two separated pairings, one silent and seemingly in deep thought while the other is quietly whispering, bodies angled towards each other affectionately.  

“Hello, Mrs. Desai. Hey Danny,” Clara interrupts the groups, smiling politely. “Mom I turned down the stove. It looked like the sauce was starting to boil over.”

“Oh, thank you sweetheart.” Judy startled from her contemplation, pries her eyes from her daughter, shaking her head lightly in an attempt to leave her thoughts in exchange for the present moment. Turning to Karen she says, “I’m sorry. I’m being so rude. Let me take your jacket. Dinner will be ready soon.” Taking Karen’s coat and purse she leads the woman into the living room. The teens follow, despite seeming oblivious to all around them. Lacey takes the load from her mother, hanging the jacket and purse in the closet along with Danny’s coat.

“Have a seat,” Judy extends an arm to the couch, watching as Karen does just that. “I’m going to check on dinner. Would you like anything to drink?”

“Any wine you have would be great.” Karen settles more comfortably into the cushion.

“Sure,” Judy nods her head; smile strained as she places a hand on her daughter’s shoulder to guide her out of the room. “Come help me in the kitchen dear.”

 Grinning at their guests, Clara tags along behind her mother and sister, eager to listen in on their conversation.

Once the Porters have left the room, Karen angles herself towards Danny, giving him a pointed look as he sits down on the couch beside her. “So whose idea was it to use me as the buffer between you and Judy?”

Danny chuckles as he rubs the back of his neck, glancing from his mother to the floor, “Lacey’s actually.”

“Smart girl,” Karen makes a sound of approval under her breathe, beginning to seriously crave that glass of wine. She’s going to need it to get though the evening.

\---

Reaching the kitchen, Judy immediately steps to the stove, stirring briefly before turning the appliance off to ready the food for serving. “You invited Karen without telling me,” she accuses, hands steady on her task.

Lacey looks up at her mother, hands stilling as they prepare to pour Karen’s drink. “Yes, but it wasn’t as devious as you’re making it out to be. I thought it’d be good for you and Mrs. Desai to be friends again since Danny and I are dating. Plus you said the two of you had a pleasant conversation at that brunch a few weeks back. I didn’t think it would be a big deal.”

“You forgot to mention the part where you invited her so that mom couldn’t be too hard on Danny. You can’t exactly threaten a kid with their parent in the room,” Clara interrupts leaning forward on the counter as she tries to sneak another taste of the night’s dinner.

“Well, if that’s also an outcome then so be it,” Lacey fights a smile as her eyes wander the ceiling, avoiding contact with her mother's gaze.

Judy laughs, softly glaring at her youngest daughter before slapping her hand away from the serving tray. “I wasn’t going to threaten him, just question him about his intentions with my daughter.”

“That’s even worse,” Clara laughs, straightening up from her slouched position. Lacey soon joins her, tickled by their mother’s annoyed expression. Laughter still bubbling in her chest, Lacey moves to return the bottle of wine to the refrigerator, having filled the glass in front of her.

“Leave it out. I think Karen and I are going to need it.” Judy unwillingly chuckles under her breath, shaking her head. “Clara, take Karen her drink while Lacey and I set out the food.”

“Okay mom,” Clara salutes her, turning to leave the kitchen, glass in hand.

“Your sister is something else,” Judy comments, watching as the young girl departs.

“Agreed,” Lacey nods her head, smiling in amusement, before moving to the kitchen counter to pick up the first of the several trays to be placed on the dining room table. Mother and daughter work together carting out food and in a matter of minutes the table is filled, dishes of various sizes adorning its surface.

“You really outdid yourself,” Lacey compliments her mother, inhaling deeply to savor the wafting scents.

“Thank you, honey. I just hope everything turned out okay.” Judy wrings her fingers, looking over the selections.

“It smells like it did.” Lacey places a reassuring hand on her shoulder. “I’ll go get everyone.”

Judy nods her head, distracted, as she makes minor changes to the arrangement of the table.

Walking into the living room, Lacey finds Clara regaling Karen and Danny with a story of the latest shenanigans involving the girls on her gymnastics’ team. Waiting for a lull in her narration, Lacey interrupts letting them know that dinner is ready. Clara claps her hands, delighted as she leads the way toward the table. She continues her story, drawing laughter as she reaches its climax.

“Who knew that twelve year old gymnasts could be so interesting?” Danny says, looking Clara over. “I don’t know if I believe everything in that story though.”

Clara rolls her eyes, smirking as she takes her seat at the table. Shrugging her shoulders she says, “I may have taken a few liberties.”

Danny chuckles as he also takes a seat at the dinner table. His places himself across from Lacey with his mother at his right-hand side, Karen having taken the seat indicated to her by Judy. Judy settles in at the head of the table, across from Karen, with Clara on her left side seated next to Lacey.

“Everything looks amazing, Judy,” Karen exclaims, eyes roaming over the spread in front of them. Judy had always been an amazing cook, dazzling all the PTA members with her homemade cookies and showing off her recipes. Karen own skills in the kitchen are less than mediocre.

“Thank you. What are you waiting for? Go ahead and eat!” That spurs everyone into action, their ogling of the food turning into sounds of appreciation as they pass the dishes around, their plates filling with food before everyone begins to eat.

“These mashed potatoes taste amazing, Mrs. Porter,” Danny says, taking another mouthful.

“Thank you, Danny,” Judy replies politely. “I wanted to try out a few of the dishes I’m going to make for Thanksgiving. I think I might have gone a little overboard.”

“No, you didn’t. Trust me. Danny and I will be more than happy to eat all of this.” Karen laughs, fork moving along her plate. “So is your family coming here for dinner then?”

Judy makes a face, unable to control her immediate reaction as she takes a deep breath, pausing in her meal to pick up her wine glass. “Yes, my mother and sister are coming. It should be a good time.” The sarcasm is clear for everyone to hear, her daughters giggling at her displeasure.

“Yes, it’ll be an evening filled with sibling rivalry and grandma criticizing our every move,” Clara adds, chuckling. Lacey nudges her, glaring mildly in her direction. It’ll be a hectic few days, but truth be told the two girls are looking forward to seeing their aunt and grandmother, at least for the time being.

“What are your plans for Thanksgiving?” Lacey asks, glancing between Danny and Karen.

“We’re going to the Masterson house for dinner. Jo’s mom apparently made an offer my mother didn’t see fit to refuse,” Danny frowns, his face turning toward his mother as his fork pauses midair on route to his mouth.

Karen rolls her eyes, exasperated with Danny’s continued disapproval of their dinner plans. “Tess asked. I wanted to say no, but I felt bad. We’re going, so get over it.” Karen makes a face at her son, her attention soon returning to the food in front of her.

“Nothing like spending dinner with the man trying to put me in jail,” Danny grimaces, his eyes moving to rest on Lacey. Her face is sympathetic as she moves her foot to rub along his calf, in comfort, under the table. Danny’s grimace turns into a smile as he continues to stare at her, gaze turning heated.

“The holidays are great aren’t they?” Clara asks rhetorically in an attempt to keep the mood light. A silence falls over the room as everyone becomes engrossed in their food, wanting to avoid the topic of the Crane investigation.

Dinner continues with intermittent bursts of conversation as each person begins to relax and enjoy the meal. The awkward fog that had first clouded the atmosphere upon Karen and Danny’s arrival lifting as the night moves forward. The main course makes way for dessert as Judy brings out a pumpkin pie. Bellies full, but unable to resist the temptation of the pie, they all take a slice, Clara and Karen taking smaller pieces as Danny has a generous portion.

“I cannot compliment you enough on dinner, Judy. Everything was amazing!” Karen sits back in her chair, rubbing her stomach as she sighs in satisfaction. “I’m going to have to do double the Pilates tomorrow morning to burn this all off.”

“Yeah, mom everything was great,” Lacey chimes in, Clara nodding her head enthusiastically beside her.

Danny agrees with their sentiment. “Thanks for the wonderful dinner, Mrs. Porter.”

“You’re welcome,” Judy says, beaming at their admiration as she stands from her seat in preparation to clear the table.

Lacey stands as well, taking the plate from her mother. “Mom, Danny and I will clear the table. You’ve done enough tonight.”

Judy returns to her seat, an appreciative smile coming to her face as she makes herself comfortable. Lifting her glass of wine to her lips she watches as the children get to work, Clara joining to help by taking her own plate to the kitchen. Karen moves from her seat at the opposite end of the table, settling down in the vacated chair near Judy, her own wine glass in hand.

The table is quickly cleared. Lacey and Clara make several trips to and from the kitchen placing the dirty plates and silverware in the sink while Danny begins to wash them. They also carry in the serving trays, resting them on the counters. The dining room table emptied, Clara busies herself putting the leftover food into plastic containers to be stored in the refrigerator. Lacey stands near Danny drying the dishes before returning them to their original locations.

Once all the food is stored away, Clara faces Lacey and Danny. “My work here is done. I’m leaving the rest to you lovebirds.” Turning her back she wanders out of the room, creeping through the dining room as she makes her way upstairs.

“Bye,” Lacey calls after she sister, preoccupied with watching the movement of the muscles on Danny’s forearm as he washes the last of the plates.

Danny smiles when her eyes finally lift to meet his. Cheeks flushing with heat at being caught in her ogling of his body, Lacey takes the plate from him, promptly drying it as she moves away from him to the other side of the kitchen.

Drying his hand on a dishrag, Danny focuses his gaze on her. His eyes lowered to the back of her thighs, her dressing riding up as she reaches into the cabinet. “So dinner went well,” he says in an attempt to keep his baser thoughts at bay.

“Yeah,” Lacey turns, task complete. “I told you having your mother here would make things easier.” She moves back to his side of the kitchen, stopping once she’s within his reach. She smiles as he engulfs her in his arms, bringing her flush against his body.

“You were right,” Danny admits, hands stroking up her back as his stares at her lips. “My girlfriend is brilliant.” His head lowers of its own accord, his lips capturing hers in a gentle kiss.

Pulling back, Lacey looks deep into his eyes, hands resting on his shoulders. “We just need to have more family gathering like this, let her get use to you being back in our lives. She’ll see how great you are.”

“Yeah,” Danny leans forward, initiating another kiss, currently more interested in Lacey’s attentions than speaking about the approval of her mother.

\---

Back in the dining room, Judy and Karen sit in a comfortable silence, both sipping from their glasses of wine as they allow their bodies digest the substantial meal.

Taking a deep breath, Judy shifts her gaze to Karen, placing her hand over the other woman’s on the table. There’s a change in the mood as Judy looks earnestly into Karen’s eyes, willing herself to speak. If she doesn’t say what she has to now then she never will. “Karen, I owe you an apology. I should have said this years ago, but I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you after everything that happened with Tara. I was supposed to be your friend, and I turned my back on you. I used taking care of Lacey as an excuse to distance myself from you, but really I was afraid to be seen with you. That wasn’t right. I should have been there.”

Face displaying her shock; Karen stares back at Judy at a loss for what to say. Tears prickle her eyes as she turns to look away. “We care entirely too much about what other people think of us,” she mumbles, taking another drink from her glass.

Judy removes her hand from Karen’s, sensing the woman’s discomfort. “Yes, but that’s not a good excuse. We aren’t in high school anymore. We’re supposed to be adults.”

Karen nods her head, looking back in Judy’s direction. “I don’t know if any of us ever truly leaves high school behind.”

Judy smiles, shaking her head in agreement, before her expression again turns serious. “I’m also sorry for your loss. I know what Vikram meant to you. It must be difficult, to say the least, dealing with his passing.”

“Yes, every day I wake up expecting to see him and he isn’t there. You think I’d be use to it by now.” Karen’s eyes continue to water, her glance once again leaving Judy's face.

Judy returns her hand to Karen’s, squeezing gently in comfort. The women look at each other, smiling gentle, both happy for this step toward rebuilding their friendship. Returning to their drinks, they each take a moment recovering from the sentimental conversation. It is Karen this time that interrupts the silence.

“I know you’re worried about Lacey dating Danny, but you don’t need to be. He didn’t murder Regina, and he isn’t that boy from five years ago. He never was… Truthfully, I don’t know what happened that afternoon, but that isn’t who Danny is. You know how much he’s always cared about Lacey. She’s safe with him.” Karen’s eyes sweep Judy’s face, awaiting her response. The woman hesitates, her gaze shifting from Karen back down to the table as she clenches her glass.

 Judy squeezes her eyes shut, briefly leaning her head onto her hand, arm resting on the table. Straightening up to face Karen she says, “I can’t help feeling uneasy about them being together. I can see how much he cares about her in the way that he looks at her, and I haven’t seen Lacey this happy in years. She practically floats through the house,” Judy pauses as they both chuckle. “It’s his past and everything going on with this investigation… I’m just worried about Lacey getting hurt.” The implications of her words hang in the air between them.

Choosing the ignore Judy’s connotation, Karen says, “Give it some time. Get to know Danny again, and watch them together. You’ll see that he isn’t the monster everyone in this town is painting him to be.” Karen looks at Judy, eyes pleading for the sake of her son. Lacey isn’t the only one that has been unconditionally happy these last several days. She hasn’t seen Danny smile so much in over five years.

Judy nods her head, able to agree to at least that.

The evening ends soon after, Karen and Judy making plans for another family dinner as their children watch on, holding hands and glowing from happiness. Clara retreats from her room, wishing Danny and Karen good night. The Porters gather by the door watching as mother and son climb into their car, waving as they drive off.

Sighing and tired from her long day toiling in the kitchen and the surprisingly pleasant, though at times emotional, evening Judy pulls her eldest daughter into a hug. “I’m glad that you invited Karen over tonight. You were right about the two of us becoming friends again.”

Smiling, Lacey hugs her mother back, “Good.” She wants to ask her what she thinks of Danny, but resists, afraid of ruining the moment.

Joining the hug by wrapping her arms around her mother and sister, Clara grins widely, shaking them both before exclaiming, “The Porter, Desai connection is officially on! Too bad Danny doesn’t have a little brother or sister for me to hang out with.” She tilts her head back, pouting as she looks from her mother to her sister.

Laughing, Lacey moves from the embrace, hip checking her sister as she makes her way to the stairs. Judy turns, pulling Clara into her own hug before stepping back to pinch and wiggle her nose playful. “Go upstairs and get ready for bed. You have school in the morning, and your grandmother and aunt are coming tomorrow night. We all need to get as much rest as possible before they get in.”

Clara groans, allowing her mother to lead her up the stairs, only comforted by the fact that Thanksgiving means more delicious food.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope it wasn't too fast paced. I probably could have added a bit more detail at certain areas, but then I'm sure it would have been another day or two before I posted it.


End file.
